Imperfect, but still my, observations on the world of politics, religion, business and entertainment.
I just write it as I see it -- I'm not necessarily saying it's the way things ought to be.
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Seriously.

It really is no time to gloat as real people with real jobs are going to be affected and the already skimpy regional programming (compared to the vast commitment to local content even just ten years ago, at least in non-prime time hours) will be cut back even more. However even the simplest person without a shred of knowledge about the media market could have figured out that the particular formula for media consolidation, banning columnists who disagreed with the ownership's stances (a violation of the long-standing tradition of editorial independence), failure to disclose conflicts of interest, making coverage of entertainment more newsworthy than hard news, and last but not least just shear arrogance -- all of these were going to add up to a colossal failure.

Many were warning there was no way that the Asper brothers were squandering their father's legacy and success of building a third national TV network despite opposition from CBC, CTV as well as the CRTC -- and then putting all their eggs into a newspaper that had no realistic chance in an already saturated market (namely, Toronto). All the profits that could have gone towards improving local programming instead went into a money pit.

What was once a fine paper -- the Financial Post, which is still very solid content for its money markets coverage -- became a total disaster once news content was wrapped around it, and for what?

It's not like other cities really have a choice -- people in the lower mainland of BC basically have three right-wing papers to choose from; any left wing papers are considered "radical" or even Marxist with circulations in the low thousands if at all. Most other cities, especially out West, have basically the "Sun" (basically, a newsworthy version of the National Enquirer) and two CanWest papers -- the local one, and the National Post, where nary you will ever hear a sympathetic word for the Palestinian cause.

The company was running on the edge for years, with revenues from advertising running very close to the edge against debt obligations (a certain percentage ratio had to be maintained every year). When the economy tanked, of course it was going to dive off the deep end.

Shareholders who bought the stock in good faith are left in the cold; and bondholders get pennies on the dollar. Meanwhile, the Aspers get to keep their cushy jobs and keep spewing their neo-Con drivel. Global needs a new start, with new management and a new attitude, one that actually gives viewers and readers what they want -- not what managers think they want. Maybe Canadians in general have moved to the right over the years, but the media does have a big role in that -- "the medium is the message," as the saying goes.

******

Now, on to Letterman.

First off, the extortion attempts against him are just plain wrong, if they are true. No one should have to pay hush money, especially to an Emmy-winning news producer with as much experience as the accused in the case.

As for Letterman himself ... I have always found him a darker character than Jay Leno. I do respect Dave, or at least I thought I did until his shocking admission last week that he had sex with female staffers on his show; thus, cheating on his long time girlfriend and now wife.

Would he have made this admission if the pressure had been not put on him? Highly unlikely.

But the obvious question has to be asked, did what Letterman do constitute sexual harassment -- which would take it from extortion (a state matter) to a violation of another's civil rights (a federal matter)?

If that is the case, then Letterman is no better than the scum that populates many of the corporate and government offices around the world -- men as well as women who slept their way to the top or kept their places at the top by doing so, while forcing those they did sleep with to stay on the bottom. Not just monetary damages could be contemplated, but time in jail as well.

If he did not break the law, then Letterman is guilty (as he is willing to admit) of very poor judgment, and the man we've come to know on television the last thirty years is not who we thought he was. Since he sells his show to CBS, rather than being a direct employee of the network, all that can really be done is to suspend the airing of the show for a few weeks but I'm sure that his agents have ensured that he gets a penalty award when that happens -- making sure he wins even if he loses. Meanwhile, real people have been hurt and they get nothing.

I'm sorry, but there's no justice in that. If the collective bargaining agreement that actors belong to includes a morals cause, then it should be invoked. If not, then other actors and other media personalities owe it to themselves and the greater good to boycott the show for an indefinite period. Shunning may be, at this point, the only appropriate penalty. Yes, he's sorry, but that doesn't change the fact he did a wrong thing in the first place.

Oemissions: You're totally correct, and I think we need to hear the women's stories. There's something about this that isn't quite kosher.

Anon: It may not matter to many progressives generally, but it does matter to me. Politicians and teachers are on the public payroll which is why we hold them to a higher standard; but personalities like Letterman should reflect the best of us and not the worst.

As always it's not the underlying act but the lying or not saying anything about it until you get caught that's the problem. From my perspective, I wouldn't renew his contract; but that won't stop him from taking his show elsewhere -- and it's no secret Fox has long wanted to get back into late night.

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About Me

I'm a free thinking spirit with a lot of axes to grind and am not afraid to speak my mind. I know I'm not perfect but I do try to keep my head on straight while keeping an open mind. And yes ... I am still single and hating it.

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HELP ATTAWAPISKAT

Incredibly, Stephen Harper STILL doesn't want these Cree children to have a proper school like non-natives have access to. I do, and so should you. A Canadian is a Canadian is a Canadian -- whatever the colour of their skin, whatever their religion, whatever their name.

Love: "Falling in love is awfully simple. Falling out of love is simply awful." -- allegedly said by Friedrich Nietzsche

Ideas: "You can imprison a mouse or a man, but you can never imprison an idea." --Tommy Douglas

Imagination: "An imagination is a powerful tool. It can tint memories of the past, shade perceptions of the present, or paint a future so vivid that it can entice...or terrify, all depending on how we conduct ourselves today." -- Jim Davis, creator of Garfield

Education does not (always) equal wisdom: "I'll tell you where I got my education. At Screw U." -- Dolly Parton

You think life is unfair? "This is not Burger King. You can't have it your way." -- Joni Eareckson Tada, mouth painter and evangelical leader

Doomsday Televangelists: "Don't worry about the world coming to an end today. It's already tomorrow in Australia." -- Charles M Schulz, creator of Peanuts

Victory Without War: "Real peace is an illusion. It has never existed and will never exist. Real peace is not an end to conflict, but a means of living with conflict." -- President Richard Nixon

Civil Rights: "We face, therefore, a moral crisis as a country and as a people. It cannot be met by repressive police action. It cannot be left to increased demonstrations in the streets. It cannot be quieted by token moves or talk. It is a time to act in the Congress, in your state and local legislative body and, above all, in all of our daily lives. It is not enough to pin the blame on others, to say this is a problem of one section of the country or another, or deplore the fact that we face. A great change is at hand, and our task, our obligation, is to make that revolution, that change, peaceful and constructive for all. Those who do nothing are inviting shame as well as violence. Those who act boldly are recognizing right as well as reality." -- President John F Kennedy

On No WMD in Iraq: "A proof is a proof. What kind of a proof? It's a proof. A proof is a proof. And when you have a good proof, it's because it's proven." -- Prime Minister Jean Chrétien

Truth: "Life was much more certain behind the Iron Curtain ... The truth was always easy to identify: Everything in Pravda was a lie." -- George Bowser and Ricky Blue, comedians

Response to "My Country Right or Wrong": "When right, keep it right; and when wrong, make it right." -- John F. Kerry, US Senator

Why I am a progressive: "Conservatives are not necessarily stupid, but most stupid people are conservatives." -- John Stuart Mill

Looking on the bright side of life: "I still believe in a place called Hope." -- President William J. Clinton

The bright side (Part Deux): "Yes we can!" -- Senator Barack H. Obama

On the funeral home industry: "Jesus didn't need his vault for long. I mean, He was up and out in only three days." -- Jessica Mitford, noted atheist, speaking to six funeral directors.

Why government and business are in bed together: "It is difficult for a man to understand something when his job depends on not understanding it." -- Upton Sinclair

Grace in adversity: "Every time I'm on ABC, I crash." -- Vinko Bogotaj, the "Agony of Defeat" ski jumper (after he was involved in a car crash on the way to an interview to celebrate the anniversary of the infamous 1971 tumble)